A twisted road to justice

Anthropologist Deepa Das Acevedo's book explores the complex interplay of tradition, law, and societal norms in the fight over women's entry to Kerala's Sabarimala temple

The Battle for Sabarimala: Religion, Law and Gender in Contemporary India

Author: Deepa Das Acevedo

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Pages: 241

Price:  Rs 1,595

Twenty years and counting, the protracted battle to allow women entry into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala is no closer to a solution than it was at the start. It has turned into one of those disputes in which no intervention is too big to fail. Even a Supreme Court judgment declaring the ban on women (in the age group 10-50 years) unconstitutional has not moved the needle.

The irony is lost on none; women are being denied the right to enter